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8 Eco-Friendly Ways You Can Recycle Your Christmas Tree

Resources: Community

A Christmas Tree can be recycled after the holidays are over which can provide numerous benefits for the environment

Now that Christmas is over, slowly but surely the time is coming where we must say goodbye to the Christmas trees in our homes. The beautifully decorated evergreen tree has provided joy, festivity, and comfort to homes the past several weeks, and it can be difficult to say goodbye.

On the bright side, real Christmas trees are biodegradable! This is a great key factor which allows you to recycle your Christmas tree and continue spreading joy for plants and animals, even now that the holiday season is over.

There are many ways you can recycle your Christmas tree—here are eight.


Drop It Off or Have It Picked Up!

recycling a Christmas tree is much better and more eco-friendly than simply disposing of the tree
  1. Drop it off at a Recycling Center: For the next two weeks, local counties (Fairfax, Arlington, Montgomery) will be offering curbside pickup for real Christmas trees. 
  1. Have it Picked Up Curbside or by a Nonprofit: Recycling your tree at a local waste disposal center will only cost you a mere $1.00 (which goes a long considering the environmental benefits!). You can also call a local nonprofit to come pick up and recycle your tree, sometimes in exchange for a small donation.

>> Find recycling centers in your area


Use It For Your Garden!

A Christmas tree can be recycled and put to use in a garden
  1. Mulch your garden: Christmas tree branches can be removed and chipped or cut into thinner pieces to enhance and nourish your plants. Mulching your garden with pine needles will augment the soil and help your plants through the cold weather ahead of them.
  1. Ash your garden: Unlike coal ash, the ash from burned wood can promote plant health. The ashes can be spread into the garden and can even ward off insects!  
  1. Insulate Your Garden: Seasonal factors can stress plants and cause them to need extra care and attention. By insulating your garden with branches from your Christmas tree, you can help your plants maintain a steady temperature and help them through the seasonal changes.

Help Local Critters!

A Christmas tree can be recycled to help provide shelter for animals like birds and rabbits
  1. Feed Birds: Another great idea for your yard, but one that focuses on helping local birds, is reusing your tree by creating a bird feeder and sanctuary out of it – just be sure to leave the tree in its stand!

  1. Feed Fish: You can easily recycle your Christmas tree by sinking it into a local fish pond and letting gravity do the work. Over time, algae will form which will feed and protect the fish as well as create a potential breeding ground. Just be sure to ask your local officials first!

  1. Provide a Habitat: Instead of keeping the tree up and in its stand for birds, you can alternatively lay it on its side for small critters like rabbits to find shelter in.

As a tree service company working to provide the best for nature, in our eyes real Christmas trees are better than fake. The reason goes beyond the coziness and natural scent evergreens provide—unlike fake trees, real Christmas trees are great for the environment.

To name a few benefits, real Christmas trees help fight climate change, support forests, and provide clean air and water. In contrast, fake Christmas trees burn fossil fuels and are not recyclable – which means they aren’t able to provide any of the great benefits we’ve listed.

Recycling Christmas trees is merely scratching the surface, but can go miles in doing what’s right for nature. So, next year, consider giving a gift to nature by searching for an all-natural real Christmas tree to add to your home.

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Google Reviews

Grey Burkhart
Grey Burkhart
March 29, 2022.
Verified
Very professional review of our requirements and an accurate estimate. Showed up on time and were finished quickly. Cleaned up all of the debris and sawdust. Great job all around.
Dennis Bruns
Dennis Bruns
March 8, 2022.
Verified
We have used RTEC Treecare for several years. They do excellent work. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable and take great care in explaining the various options available for your particular situation. I highly recommend them.
Annette Iannucci
Annette Iannucci
February 23, 2022.
Verified
We have been using RTEC for years and were very pleased with the recent tree maintenance work they did for us. As always, we got good advice from their arborist Ben,. The crew that did the work is highly skilled, and they did a great job trimming our trees. They worked safely and efficiently, in addition to leaving the yard clean after they finished the work.
Susan Crawford
Susan Crawford
January 26, 2022.
Verified
RTEC was at my house today to removed a large Magnolia that was badly damaged by the recent snow. They did a fantastic job at a very reasonable price. They arrived right on time, worked efficiently and quickly and cleaned up so well it was hard to tell anything have been disturbed. Over the past several years, I have used RTEC for all the services I checked above, and have always been very pleased with their service and professionalism. I also appreciate that they are not eager to take down trees that don't need to come down. In this case, the damage was too extensive for the tree to recover.
Kenton Morgan
Kenton Morgan
January 20, 2022.
Verified
Once again, RTEC has done a great job. The team showed up right on time and performed all the work that we agreed to. They kept us informed as to progress, coordinated with us concerning our maple, and made recommendations concerning ongoing support for our trees. At the end of the day, they thoroughly cleaned up the debris and left our yard in pristine condition. WELL DONE.
Jean Kluttz
Jean Kluttz
January 3, 2022.
Verified
Not our first time but this time was tricky removal of a large dead tree leaning on a healthy tree. Quick response for estimate, good timing to removal, all clear and healthy tree still fine.
Jerry Haggin
Jerry Haggin
December 16, 2021.
Verified
Very good work while ensuring that I was aware of status of my work order and planned completion.
Mike Iger
Mike Iger
December 16, 2021.
Verified
David Roberts
David Roberts
December 15, 2021.
Verified
We’ve used RTEC for many years for tree maintenance and can’t say enough good things about their service. We use them for tree trimming and for regular treatments to maintain our trees’ health and deal with pests and prevent disease. Their arborist Ben has been especially helpful with advice. RTEC also been especially helpful in emergency situations, once coming to cable a massive, heritage oak in our yard right before a hurricane was about to hit. Highly recommend.
Travis Larson
Travis Larson
December 10, 2021.
Verified
RTEC did an excellent job onsite of removing dead branches from our 80+ year old trees, and trimming other growth too close to our home.
Google rating score: 4.8 of 5, based on 185 reviews.

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